What is it reasonable to take when you move?

[bluebellbow]

Husband and I have a difference of opinion about what we can and can’t take when we sell our house. We have a really expensive electric/ gas range cooker, I think as long as we say we’re taking it when we fill out all the forms- that’s reasonable to take with us? He thinks we can’t. The washing machines and tumble driers I’m taking, and he thinks this is ok, I just don’t see why the range cooker is any different? But happy to concede I may be being unreasonable? What is the done thing with taking appliances etc?

Take what you like just fill the form in saying that. You don't have to replace it either. I bought my house without a hob/oven as I knew they were taking it.

One of our vendors took the letterbox and left us with a hole in the front door. Not a nice surprise in November. You will need a gas engineer to deinstall your range cooker before moving - removal men can’t usually do this - so bear in mind the cost of that when you weigh up taking it with you.

For me as long as you make it very clear on the viewing and possibly on the advert that it isnt included then its fine. TBH the way the housing system works it wouldnt take much for a purchaser to let you get a fair way down the garden path with the sale and then just threaten to pull out unless you left it there or discounted by enough to cover it. I would rather just have everything nice and clean with little reason for change personally

Seriously? I'd assume sellers would be taking all large free-standing kitchen appliances with them, including a range cooker.

If the entire kitchen had been designed around the specific dimensions of a free-standing range and it would be difficult to source another one to fit the space, then maybe I'd try to persuade them to leave it.

In any case, the purchasers wouldn't be arriving to find an unexpected blank space, because they would already have been notified on the (extremely long and tiresome) f&f form from the solicitors, so they would have known for weeks to expect an empty space where the cooker used to be. They would have had plenty of time to arrange to buy a new one, and moving-in day is what takeaways are for. There's no way I'd start cooking dinner if I'd spent all day moving house!

You can take just about anything as long as you make it clear in the fixtures and fittings form. You do have to leave a light in each room - even a bare bulb will do.
People do like their ranges and that and agas I can see someone taking. Less likely to take white goods frankly as they don't seem to transport well - I've always left mine behind.
Back 'in the day' people used to try and sell the fitted carpets and such - and I have known people to take the carpets and refit them in their new homes.

When we moved last time, we made it clear at viewings that the freestanding white goods would be going with us. They were all new and we weren't prepared to just leave them. We did say we were open to negotiate a price for them. And when we had to say what we were leaving on the forms we took the curtains but left the blinds. We felt the blinds were fitted but curtains aren't.
So the range cooker would be going with me! It was electric, so no problems to move it.

It's fine so long as fixtures and fittings form.is clearance and whoever is doing the viewings knows it's not included. In the houses we've lived in the first had integrated cooker so was included, the second had a freestanding cooker which they included with the sale, we replaced it later down the line then sold the new one to the FTB who bought our previous house for £50 (they had tried to screw us over with an unreasonable post survey reduced offer which took ages to negotiate on so I wasn't in the mind of giving it away!) At the same time we bought the range cooker from the owners of the house we were moving to for £100. We declined the huge American style fridge they wanted to flog us for £700 as we already had an almost brand new fridge freezer we were bringing with us.

I've bought a dozen times and the oven, fitted or freestanding, was never taken in a house or apartment. Often I'd wished they had been taken though, some were so broken they went straight to recycling.

When we bought our house years ago, they tried to insist we pay extra for the range cooker. We refused as we found a new one we liked at the same price they wanted for their second hand one we didn't like, so they had to pay a fortune to remove it and store it.

Unless it is part of a fitted kitchen, I don't think you have to legally include it but make sure you have somewhere for it in the new house, otherwise it will be an expensive hassle to remove.

It depends on the sales particulars that are written.

If it is stated written as being in the kitchen then you should leave it or take money off as according to the particulars you are including it.

If it is not specified, then no, its not part of the sale and you can separately sell it or take it. Just list it on the form.

Haven't RTFT so apologies if I repeat something that's already been said.
If you do have to leave whatever was listed in your advertising when you were selling the house. So if your EA details mentioned the range then your buyers could argue that it's false advertising if you take it.

I'm inclined to agree with this.

I think you ought to make it clear to the EA that you want to take it with you.
Technically people are right about the 'turn the house upside down' thing, and also the 'as long as you put it on the form' but presumably this is a big feature of your kitchen and the whole look / design of the place, so if part of it weren't going to be there then I think that needs to be clear up front. I feel that is very different from knowing if a pair of curtains is staying or going.

I also wonder how likely it is that it will just slot into the kitchen in your new house?
I'd have thought the sensible thing to do was consider what a small % of the cost of the house it is, and leave it with the house, in the space in the kitchen designed to fit it into.

OP says they are building their new house so presumably can make sure the kitchen dimensions suit their range cooker, if she was inclined to take it.

I can’t believe that anyone would take an oven with them when they move (as for an integrated dishwasher..seriously, give your head a wobble). As others have said, it may be one of the features that sold the house to your buyers, and what fits in your current home may not be suited (in a whole host of ways) to your next.

FWIW I’ve bought 4 times and on none of those occasions has the vendor tried to remove an oven, or asked me to pay for it. It would certainly sour the relationship, right at the start of an inevitably trying process, if it was omitted on a F&F form.

Bizarre that so many people think it's unreasonable to take a freestanding appliance. The property form has a standard tick box for whether you are taking or leaving these things. It's the sellers choice, it's all fully disclosed - if a buyer is surprised then they didn't read the forms that they'd have been sent right at the start of the process.

I’m finding this really confusing- how is a freestanding cooker more fixed than a washing machine or a dryer

I would say because it is a feature of the kitchen.
If the buyer has to buy another cooker, it will leave a gap in the run of the kitchen. It is likely to mean the floor will need doing too.

Also, in the scheme of things, a £1500 cooker that is over 5 years old, doesn't really have much monetary value, so why put people off buying the house if (as I've since read) the OP is building and designing their new house and can have whatever they want. Plus you'll have to not only pay for, but co-ordinate a gas fitter to disconnect it, then fit it, with the timing of your move, presumably?

What many people are saying is, you look round a house and one factor you are making the offer on is the fact the kitchen looks like it does and it ready to move in to. Leaving a big gap is an unusual thing to do, so if that is your intention, you should make it clear to potential buyers before they make their offer, not get them committed and put it on the form some way down the line.

It's not. It's treated in exactly the same way as a WM, TD or FF.

I would be surprised if the seller hadn't had any form of conversation with the agent about it though. If they knew from the outset that they were definitely taking it (as they are perfectly entitled to), I would expect the agent to know this so they could handle any queries. Equally if they were more flexible, I'd expect them to have said to the agent that it's their intention to take it, but that they're open to offers.

If I was the buyer, I would be asking during viewings what the seller's intention was, and if I hoped the range might stay I might factor that into my negotiations (offer £xxxx, to include carpets, blinds and the range, for example).

So I'd be surprised if it got as far as the F&F form with the buyer not having asked, and the seller not having said anything.

But the fact of the matter is that the seller is totally entitled to take it with them.

When I moved into my current house the previous owner took the toilet seats and the lightbulbs 😂

No you couldn't.

If it's built into your units, it's not going to fall out when you shake the house.

If you have a free standing cooker it will.

I agree with this - make it clear in the particulars so it doesn't come as a surprise when the F&F form says it's not included.

I've definitely seen particulars say things like "with space for a range cooker" or "with plumbing for a washing machine".

You need to make it clear what's going and what's staying. We removed our kitchen island when we moved as it had our £5k induction hob on it. We also took our expensive sink with us too. In both cases we replaced them with cheaper alternatives.

The buyer wasn't happy with us, he expected us to include them for free, but both solicitors made it clear to him that provided we replace them it's fine.

wow - I'm so pleased I wasn't your buyer! Of course they expected that the kitchen island and kitchen sink they saw during viewings would be included in the price. And obviously you didn't make it clear on the EA details as the solicitors had to get involved to clarify the legal position.

You were lucky that your buyers didn't back out of the sale. I bet they were tempted but obviously loved your house enough that they had to suck it up.

I specified that I wanted to take a particular rose from the garden when we moved. I bought it in memory of a dear friend and the purchaser was agreeable.

Of course you can, as long as they know it is going!